WhenToBird

Haemorhous mexicanus · Fringillidae

When Do House Finches Arrive in Wyoming?

Adult male House Finch
Photo: Daughter Dad, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

House Finches are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in mid February (34% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 11% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 1-7early November
PeakFeb 15-21mid February
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: mid February. Here all year; numbers build from early November and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 34% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 31% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 32% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 32% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 30% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 31% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 34% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 35% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 34% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 31% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 31% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 29% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 25% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 28% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 29% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 28% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 27% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 15% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 18% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 18% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 15% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 19% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 24% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 24% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 27% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 30% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 32% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 30% of 2392 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Wyoming that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Campbell CountyBest late August · 119 checklists that week, 2,801 in all66%
  2. Fremont CountyBest late February · 425 checklists that week, 27,707 in all53%
  3. Albany CountyBest the second week of May · 851 checklists that week, 21,857 in all51%
  4. Laramie CountyBest the second week of May · 740 checklists that week, 15,593 in all50%
  5. Carbon CountyBest late January · 59 checklists that week, 6,429 in all49%
  6. Park CountyBest the second week of December · 151 checklists that week, 27,277 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Camplex ParkCampbell County, best late August · 51 checklists that week, 659 in all97%
  2. Hudson DrawFremont County, best early May · 66 checklists that week, 2,803 in all94%
  3. State Lands 1111128453Albany County, best early May · 26 checklists that week, 1,128 in all90%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the House Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (33% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 33% of 8808 checklists7 am: 33% of 18458 checklists8 am: 29% of 22143 checklists9 am: 22% of 21499 checklists10 am: 18% of 19425 checklists11 am: 16% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 15% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 15% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 15% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 18% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 18% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 18% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 18% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 15% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January31%32%32%30%
February31%34%35%34%
March31%31%29%25%
April28%27%29%28%
May30%29%27%20%
June15%11%12%11%
July13%11%12%14%
August15%14%15%18%
September18%15%16%16%
October17%19%20%24%
November23%24%27%30%
December31%30%32%30%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: year-round, peaks late February
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Montana: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early December

Common questions

When do House Finches arrive in Wyoming?
House Finches are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in mid February (34% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 11% of checklists.
When do House Finches leave Wyoming?
House Finches never fully leave Wyoming: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 11% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a House Finch in Wyoming?
The House Finch is reported most often in mid February, on about 34% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are House Finches seen most often?
By county, Campbell County, Fremont County, and Albany County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).